Best Friends Forever
by cece1397
Summary: Nora, Trent, Max, and Katy have been best friends since high school so it is only natural that their children be best friends too. Eddie and Loren get ready to go off to college together. Will their friendship survive a new place,new people, and new relationships? Read and find out.
1. Chapter 1

Loren and Eddie smile big as their parents snap pictures of them. Eddie's arm is around Loren's shoulder and Loren's is around Eddie torso.

"I'm so proud of you guys. I can't believe you just graduated." Nora squeals.

"Thanks Mom. It's great to know that you had so much faith in us." Loren says sarcastically.

Everyone laughs. "You know what your mother means. It's just been a long time coming sweetie."

"I know Dad." She hugs Trent. When she pulls away from him, Trent reaches into the pocket of his jacket and pulls out a small black box. "It's from you mother and I." He says as he hands it to Loren. She opens it and finds a locket. She opens it and finds a picture she, Nora and Trent on one side. One the other side were the words.

_We have watched you grow into a beautiful young lady and we are so proud. Congratulations! We love you.- Mom and Dad_

Loren's eyes were filled with tears. "Thank you guys. I love you so much." Loren hugs both of them. Loren gives the necklace to Trent and lets him put it around her neck. "I love it."

"It looks great on you Lo."

"Thanks." Loren tells Eddie.

"We should get going if we want to make our dinner reservations." Max says.

"You're right sweetie." Katy says.

"I'm going to ride with Eddie." Loren tells her parents.

"Ok, we'll see you at the restaurant." Nora says.

Eddie and Loren walk towards his car, while their parents go to their cars.

"Can you believe we actually made it?" Loren asks Eddie.

"Please, like you ever had a doubt in your mind, Ms. Valedictorian." Eddie teases.

"Well you didn't do so badly yourself. Tenth in our class is something to be proud of." Loren says as she smiles at him.

"Yea, good enough for us to get into the same school, which I'm really excited about." Eddie says, putting his arm around her shoulder.

"I know! How many people get to go to college with their best friend? It's unreal." Loren says.

They get to Eddie's car and get in. As they drive to the restaurant, Eddie and Loren talk about everything they'll need to pack and how fun college will be.

They get to the restaurant and walk inside. Nora, Trent, Max, and Katy are already seated. "Hey guys. What took you so long?" Nora asks.

"We got stuck in traffic." Eddie says as he pulls Loren's chair out for her, and then takes the one next to her."

"Have you guys ordered yet?" Loren asks.

"No, we were waiting for you." Katy says.

Loren smiles.

They order their drinks and then their food. After dinner, they go back to the Duran house and hang around the pool for the rest of the day.

**August 1****st**** (A few weeks before fall semester begins)**

Eddie and Loren are at Target and she is helping Eddie get the rest of his stuff together. "Why do you wait until the last minute to do everything?" Loren asks.

"I don't."

"You totally do, for as long as I've known you which is like forever."

"Shut up and help me find the towels." Eddie laughs.

Loren laughs too and walks in front of Eddie. "There right here." Loren says. She walks down the aisle and picks up three of the towels sets, then puts them in Eddie's cart.

"Now what?" Loren asks.

"I need a coffee maker. You know I can't live without my coffee." Eddie says.

"We better get you a bunch of gum too because that stuff makes your breath smell disgusting. I don't know how you drink so much of it." Loren says.

"I don't know how you don't. Besides, it saved my butt the night before every one of Mr. Bender's AP History tests."

"Whatever." Loren says.

They walk through the store and reach the kitchen appliances. "You need a small one so you don't take up too much space. I don't want to have to defend your caffeine-crazed needs to your roommate."

"What would I do without you Lo?" Eddie asks as he leans on the bar of his cart.

"I don't know. You'd probably drink yourself into oblivion."

"You know I don't drink."

"I mean with coffee."

"Well then, you're probably right. They both laugh.

"Loren…" A voice says.

Loren turns around and sees Cameron, a guy she was a camp counselor with since freshman year. He always had a crush on Loren but she never liked him that way, or at for that matter.

"Cameron." Loren says, trying not to sound as disappointed as she really was.

"It's so good to see you."

"Yea, you too." Loren says through gritted teeth.

Loren can tell that Cameron is staring at Eddie and an idea pops into her head.

She turns around and winks at Eddie, signaling the usual plan that works when either of them is being hit on by unsavory characters. He nods back at her.

"Cameron, this is Eddie." Loren says.

"Oh yea, Loren's best friend. It's nice to meet you."

"Actually, he's my boyfriend." Loren says as she laces her fingers with Eddie's.

"Yea. This last year has been the best I've ever had." Eddie adds in to make it that much more real.

"Oh, um, I'm happy for you guys." Cameron says even though they all know that it is a complete lie.

"Thanks." Loren says as she smiles from ear to ear.

"Well I guess I'll see you around."

"Yea, sure." Loren say quickly and turns to Eddie and runs her hand through his hair.

Eddie watches Cameron as he walks off the aisle and around the corner. "Ok, the coast is clear."

Loren looks over her shoulder and sees that Cameron is gone.

"Thank you so much. I knew there was a reason you were my best friend. Now let's finish up your shopping."

They buy the rest of the supplies they need and head back to Eddie's house. As usual, Loren is already prepared. All of her stuff is packed and ready to be loaded into the car when they leave for Houston, so she is helping Eddie pack his. They walk through the front door and Buddy, Eddie's golden Retriever comes to greet them at the door. Loren bends down and pets him. "Hi Buddy. How are you? How are you?" Loren says in a baby voice.

"Eddie, is Loren with you?" Katy asks from the living room.

"Yea, she's right here."

"Hey Katy."

"Hi sweetie. Thank goodness you came because we could use all the help we can get packing up Eddie's things."

"No problem. So what are we working with here. What have you packed already?" Loren asks Eddie.

"Um, nothing." Eddie mumbles.

"What? I didn't hear that." Loren asks sincerely.

"Nothing." Eddie says at a more audible volume.

"Seriously Eddie! You're so… irritating. We leave in a couple of days."

"But you still love me, right?"

Loren smiles and shakes her head. "Let's go get everything out of the car so we can start packing. Loren pulls Eddie by his collar and leads him out the door. They get all of the boxes and bags out of the car and start packing. Once his appliances are packed, they go up to Eddie's room.

"We really need to take this opportunity to clean out your hideously, unorganized closet."

"It's not that bad."

"Eddie" Loren says sharply "I don't know how many things you've lost in there. It's ridiculous."

"Ok, so I'm a little messy."

"That's the understatement of the century." Loren says.

They walk into Eddie's room and it's less messy than usual. There are boxes on the bed so they get to work. Loren empties out all of Eddie's drawers and packs what she considers is worth taking. She has to talk Eddie out of bringing all of his Nikes and Vans. "You realize that the closet in your dorm is like five times smaller than yours, right?" Loren said when she tried to convince him not to pack the fifth pair of Nikes.

Eventually, they compromise with only six pair of shoes: 3 pairs of Vans and 3 pairs of Nikes.

As Loren rummages through the clothes on Eddie's floor, she finds the wrist band that Eddie had won at the county fair when they were seven. Eddie's said _Best_ and Loren's said _Friends._

"Eddie!" Loren says from his closet. "Look what I found."

"Oh my gosh! That's what happened to it." Eddie says. "I remember when I first lost it; I was so afraid to tell you."

"Yea and I cried when you did."

"You said I didn't care about our friendship and refused to talk to me for a week." Eddie says.

Loren laughs. "And then you got Max and Katy to get us these." Loren picks up her dog tag and looks at it. It is silver and has _Best Friends_ written in pink on it. Eddie's is silver and has _Forever _written on it in blue.

Just then, Katy knocks on the door. Eddie and Loren peep out of the closet and see Katy. "Lunch is ready if you guys are hungry."

"Ok. Thanks Ma." Eddie stands up and pulls Loren up afterwards. They walk downstairs and eat with Katy and Max.

**Should I continue this story? Let me know if you guys like it with your comments. The idea just popped into my head and I wanted to see where it went. I'll be updating my other stories soon. Comment please. I love hearing from you guys **


	2. Chapter 2

Eddie and Loren are moving into their dorms in two days. They are all leaving a day early so that they can make the long trip to Houston, but still have a day to relax before moving everything in. Loren wakes up and showers. Then she puts on a pair of athletic shorts, a t-shirt, and her Nikes. She puts her hair up into a messy bun and walks out of her room. Trent and Nora are outside with Katy and Max load her and Eddie's things into the U-Haul.

All of a sudden, two hands tickle Loren's sides. "Aaah." Loren screams, startled.

She turns around and it's none other than Eddie. "You should have seen your face. It was priceless."

"You are so immature and your scared the crap out of me."

"Wimp."

"What?"

"Your heard me Tate. My best friend is a wimp."

Loren jumps on Eddie's back and ruffles Eddie's hair. "Who's the wimp now?" Loren says.

They are both laughing when Nora walks in to get another box from the living room. "Could you two stop messing around and help with these boxes?" Nora asks as she smiles at them.

"Yea, sorry mom." Loren says as she slides off of Eddie's back.

Loren picks up the bin that has her bedspread, pillows, and sheets in it, and then walks out to the truck."

"Hey Katy, hey Max." Loren says.

They both hug her. "Hey sweetie. Are you ready? It's going to be a long ride."

"Twenty-one hours and 32 minutes to be exact." Loren says.

"You would know that." Eddie says sarcastically from behind them.

"Shut up." Loren says."

"Katy, could you help me with something in the house?"

"Sure." They walk into the house.

"What is it?" Katy asks.

"Do you think it will happen?"

"What?" Katy asks confused.

"Eddie and Loren. Do you think they'll finally get together? Honestly, I thought it would have happened a long time ago." Nora says.

"I don't know. Eddie really cares about her. I thought they might have gotten together when I found out that they were going to Prom together, but Eddie said that they knew that they would have more fun with each other than anybody else and that is why they went together."

"I guess I just figured that since they've been so close for so long, that maybe something else would happen." Nora says.

"Well you know we can't force them to be more than friends."

"I know." They look out the window at Loren and Eddie. They are looking at something on Loren's phone and laughing. "It's just that they have always been happiest when they are with each other."

"Yea I've noticed."

"Nora, Katy, we're ready to get on the road." Trent says, peeping his head through the door.

"Ok. We'll be right there honey." Nora says.

Nora and Katy walk outside. Eddie, Loren, Nora and Trent ride in one car while Katy and Max follow behind them in the U-Haul. Eddie and Loren are in the back seat and Nora and Trent are in the front.

"Are you sure you have everything Eddie, because you always forget something?"

"Um Lo, I'm pretty sure my mom is not in this car with me."

"Let's face it. I'm going to be like Katy's replacement while we're away."

"That's probably true but I'd rather have my best friend be my best friend than my mother. Ok. "

"Ok. You're right." Loren gives in.

"Aren't I always?" Eddie asks sarcastically.

Loren rolls her eyes and get comfortable in the back seat.

**Six Hours into the Drive**

Loren and Eddie are fast asleep. Loren's head is on Eddie's shoulder and Eddie's head is lying on hers. Nora turns to look back at them and snaps a picture on her phone, then she send it to Katy with the text: _**They're so adorable.**_

"You're obsessed with them you know." Trent says laughingly.

"What do you mean?"

"I know you want them to be more than friends."

"I know you don't." Nora says.

"You know I just want Loren to be happy and Eddie does that for her now. They're just friends and if that's what they want to stay then let them. Don't interfere sweetie. Promise me?"

"I promise, besides, I won't really be able to with them being over 1000 miles away."

"I know you Nora. You wouldn't let that stop you."

"Be quiet Trent." She says shoving his shoulder.

"You know I'm right."

After fifteen hours of driving, they stop at a hotel for the night. Nora pulls into a Sleep Inn and she and Katy go inside to check for room vacancies. Loren and Eddie are up now, talking and checking their phones.

"Guys, we have rooms. Get your suitcase out of the back. We'll finish the trip in the morning, then we have reservations at Hotel Derek."

"Isn't that the same place we stayed when we first visited Rice?" Eddie asks.

"Yes it is." Nora answers.

"I love that place. It's so nice." Loren says.

Once everyone is awake, they get their overnight bags out of the trunk and go to their rooms. Loren takes a shower and changes into her pajamas. Nora and Trent are already asleep when she comes out of the bathroom. There is no ice for the soda she brought so Loren grabs the bucket and the room key and walks down the hall toward the elevator. The ice machine is in the lobby. She puts the bucket under the dispenser and presses the button. Once she has enough, Loren picks up the bucket and heads back to the elevator. She clicks the up button and waits. When it opens, she steps in side and waits as the doors begin to close.

"HOLD THE DOOR PLEASE!" A voice calls out.

Loren throws her arm out to stop the door. When it opens, she sees a chiseled body that's dripping from head to toe. He steps into the elevator. "Thanks." He says smiling.

"No problem." Loren says back. "What floor?" Loren asks.

"Five." He answers.

Loren presses the button and the doors close.

"Late night swim?" Loren sort of asks.

"Yea. I couldn't sleep so I figured I'd just come down to the pool." There is a silence after that.

The elevator stops with a jolt on the fourth floor and the doors open.

"Well this is me." Loren says.

Loren walks out and says "Good night."

The guy smiles. "Good night."

Loren walks to her room and opens the door. She goes to sleep with a smile on her face, just thinking about the mystery guy.

**Who is this guy?**

**Will Loren see him again? **

**Will he get between Loren and Eddie?**

**Keep reading and find out.**

**P.S. - Thank you so much to everybody that commented. I got this second chapter to you guys as fast as I could because you all wanted me to continue. Keep commenting. **


	3. Chapter 3

Loren wakes up to the sound of her phone buzzing. "It's five o'clock." She always works out at this time. She changes into a black sports bra, red running shorts and her sneakers. Then she grabs her headphones, phone, and room key. Loren walks out the door and takes the stairs down to the lobby. It's completely empty when she gets there. She grabs one of the yoga mats and begins stretching. They have speakers so Loren plugs her phone in and picks a song. She has been stretching for about 10 minutes when mystery guys walks in. She doesn't notice though because the music is loud and she is facing the floor as she stretches.

"Paramore, nice." He yells over the music.

Loren looks up quickly, a little startled by the voice. She sees that it is the guys form the elevator. "Thanks." Loren says smiling. She turns the music down.

"You know I never did get your name last night." He says.

"Loren Tate." She says as she stands up so that they are face to face.

"Dylan Boyd." He says back.

"Well it's nice to meet you… again." Loren says.

Dylan laughs. "You too."

Dylan walks over and grabs another yoga mat, then rolls it out beside Loren. "So, are you here with your parents?" Dylan asks as he begins to stretch.

"Yea. My friend and his parents too."

"Any particular reason?"

"Freshmen move-in actually." Loren answers.

"Really, What school?"

"Rice University." Loren answers.

"No way. That's where I go."

"Seriously?" Loren asks.

"Well not officially I guess. I'm a freshman too."

"Small world I guess. Loren says.

"I guess so." Dylan says back.

Loren rolls up her yoga mat and walks over to one of the treadmills. After a few more minutes, Dylan goes over to the bench press. Loren looks into the mirror that spans the front of the wall and watches as he lifts, the muscles in his arms rippling each time. She is so preoccupied that she doesn't realize that she has her finger on the button that increases speed. Her feet fly from under her and she falls back.

"Oh my god, Loren! Are you okay?" Dylan yells as he runs over to her.

"Yea, I think."

"What happened?" he asks.

"I just tripped." Loren lies.

"Does anything hurt?"

Loren is about to answer when someone comes through the door. "Loren! What happened?" Eddie says as he kneels down next her.

"I tripped on the treadmill." Loren says looking at him.

"Of course you did." He says. "You've always been clumsy."

"Shut up." Loren says as she shoves him playfully.

"Does anything hurt?" Eddie asks.

"My ankle does a little." Loren says.

Dylan watches them interact and it's clear to him that there is something going on between them.

Loren suddenly feels like a jerk when she realizes that Dylan is still sitting there. "Eddie, this is Dylan. Dylan, Eddie."

They shake hands. "Are you Loren's boyfriend?" Dylan says.

They look at each other and laugh. "No,no,no. Eddie is my best friend, pretty much since birth."

"Yea, we do everything together."

"Gotcha." Dylan says. He feels a little better. He feels like he may still have a chance with Loren.

"Well let's get you back to your room." Eddie says. "We have to get back on the road." Eddie helps Loren up off the floor. His hand is resting on Loren's waist so that she can balance on her good ankle. Dylan's eyes travel to Eddie's hand and he feels a little like a third wheel.

"It was nice to meet you man." Eddie says as he holds his hand out again.

"Yea, you too." Dylan says back as he shakes it.

Eddie helps Loren out of the gym and back up to her room. Loren takes out her key and opens the door. "Why were you downstairs? You obviously didn't plan on working out." Loren says as she points to his cargo shorts and polo shirt.

"I was looking for you. I figured we could get breakfast." Eddie says.

"Well let me shower and then I will meet you down there in like…" Loren grabs Eddie's arm and looks at the watch on his arm. "20 minutes."

"Sounds good." Eddie says.

Loren walks into the room where Trent is watching TV. Nora is in the shower. "Trent notices that Loren is limping a little. "Honey, what's wrong."

"I think I twisted my ankle in the gym but it's nothing serious, really." Loren says, trying to reassure him.

"Ok, but put your ankle brace on after you shower. The pressure should make it better."

"Ok, Daddy. You don't have to worry so much." Loren says.

"Of course I do. I'm always going to worry. You're my little girl. This trip to drop you off has made all the more real for me." Trent sits on the bed.

Loren sits beside him. "No matter where I am, I'm always going to be your little girl. That'll never change." Trent kisses her forehead and pulls her close to him in a hug.

Nora walks out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel and sees them cuddled together. "You always were a daddy's girl."

"And I always will be." Loren kisses Trent on the cheek and goes to get her clothes out of her suitcase. "I'm going to shower and then I'm going to meet Eddie downstairs for breakfast."

"Ok. That's fine."

Loren goes into the bathroom and showers. She brushes her teeth, washes her face and puts on her make-up. It's not enough but it doesn't make her look like she's wearing any. Loren puts on a pink V-neck and pair of denim shorts. Loren walks out of the bathroom and puts her ankle brace on. She slips on her rainbows and heads out the door. Loren walks into the party room, where they serve breakfast and sees that Eddie is already seated with a plate full of food. Loren sits in the chair across from him. "You couldn't wait for me." Loren says as she takes a slice of bacon from Eddie's plate.

"You said twenty minutes and when you weren't here, I got food."

"You're such a guy." Loren says.

"And you're just figuring that out now."

Loren sticks her tongue out at Eddie. "I'm going to get some food." Loren walks up to the table filled with food and picks what she wants. She is reaching for a bagel when another hand reaches for the same one. She looks up and it's Dylan.

"You take it." He insists.

"No you." Loren says.

"Really, you have it. I already have enough food to feed an army." Loren looks at plate and caves.

"Ok but only because you said so." Loren smiles at him and he smiles back.

"So, do you want to eat with us?" Loren asks as she points to the table that Eddie is at.

Dylan's smile fades. "That's ok. I was planning on going back up to my room and eating. I told my little sister that I'd bring breakfast up to her.

"Oh ok. Well then I guess I'll see you around, probably on move-in day."

"Yea, probably." Dylan says before he turns around and walks out the door.

Loren goes to sit with Eddie who is finished with his first plate and is heading back for seconds. They eat and talk until they see Nora, Katy, Max, and Trent walk in. They walk over to Eddie and Loren. "We are going to eat something right quick, and then we need to get back on the road. The bags are back in the car and everything is ready." Nora says.

"That's cool. We'll just hang here until you're done."

The parents eat and then it is time to pack everything into the car so that they can finish their trip. This time, Max and Katy ride in the car with Eddie and Loren while Nora and Trent drive the U-Haul. They drive for the next 6 hours to Houston.

They arrive at Hotel Derek and get checked in. Eddie and Loren grab their bags and decide to spend the day at the pool. Once she is settled into her room, Loren changes into her floral bandeau bikini and white netted cover up. There is a knock at the door and it's Eddie.

"Are you ready to go?" He asks.

"Yea." Loren replies.

She grabs her bag and slips on her flip flops. They walk down to the pool which is outside. They find chairs under an umbrella and put their stuff down. Loren lies out on the chair while Eddie jumps in the pool. After about 30 minutes of swimming, Eddie gets out of the pool. Loren throws him his towel.

"Thanks Lo."

"No problem. Do you want some water or something?" Loren says as she looks over at the cabana and back at Eddie.

"Yea, a water would be great." Eddie answers her.

Loren gets up and walks over to the cabana. Two waters please." Loren tells the person behind the counter. The guys hands her the waters.

"Thanks." Loren says with a smile. When Loren turns around, Loren sees Eddie talking to a tall, skinny, blonde girl. Her bikini barely covers anything, not that there is much to see anyway. Her back is to Loren and Eddie is facing her. He looks uncomfortable and he gives her a look. Loren smiles, knowing exactly what to do. Loren struts over to where they are standing and hands him the water.

"Here you go babe." Loren says. Eddie looks relieved.

Loren looks over at the girl. She is wearing big sunglasses so she can't really see her face. "I'm Loren." She says.

"Chloe." The girls says sternly.

"So do you make it a point to hit on other girls' boyfriends?" Loren says. Loren can see right through this girl. She looks like a spoiled princess who is used to getting everything she wants. Loren saw the look of disgust that Chloe gave her when she walked up so Loren thought that she would mess with her head a little.

"I didn't even see you." Chloe says.

"Right." Loren says, dragging out the 'I.'

"You guys just don't look like a couple." Chloe says.

"So you've been watching us, which means you did see me." Loren says.

"Well I… I… I mean I saw you. You guys just don't have that sort of chemistry, but that's none of my business." Chloe says.

"You're right. Our chemistry is none of your business. I don't even know you so you have no right to tell me about my relationship."

"I haven't seen you guys kiss." Chloe throws out.

"So."

"So, most couples do that."

"We're not into PDA." Loren shoots back.

"I'm sure that's the reason." Chloe says.

Eddie has been watching their exchange and is surprised at how feisty Loren is being. "Lo, you know we have nothing to prove to her."

Loren looks at Eddie. "You're right. We don't, but I don't think she is going to leave us alone until we do this." Before Eddie can even comprehend what Loren has just said, Loren's lips are on his and he is kissing her back. Loren pulls away from Eddie and looks at Chloe.

"Happy now?" She says with an attitude.

Chloe has nothing to say. She just storms back over to her chair, picks up her stuff, and walks into the hotel. Loren is very satisfied with herself. She walks back to her chair and opens her magazine. "I don t think she will be bothering you again while we're here." Loren says.

"Yea, even I believed that kiss." Eddie says, still a little out of breath.

"Well what are friends for?" Loren asks as she smiles.

"Yea. Friends." Eddie says as he sits down in the chair next to Loren's.

Eddie feels weird. He and Loren had never gone far enough as to kiss each other as part of their plans. Eddie felt something when Loren kissed him. He didn't know what it was but he wondered if she felt it too.

**Whoa. Didn't see that coming!**

**What do you guys think? Comment and let me know. Tell me what your fav parts are too and give me some suggestions for future chapters. **** cece1397**


	4. Chapter 4

Eddie decided to ignore the feeling he had when Loren kissed him. He figured that it just took him by surprise and that because of this, it didn't mean anything. Loren hasn't told him that she felt anything so he didn't want to bring it up and make things awkward between them.

"It is the first day of freshman year today, and Loren is up. She has been up since about five. She learned the layout of the school pretty quickly, checking to see where the gym was, first and foremost. Loren jogs across the lawn to gym every morning and works out for about an hour to an hour and a half. She is usually back to the dorms by 7:30. She takes a shower, and goes down to breakfast with Melissa, her roommate. They always eat with Eddie and his roommate, Ian.

Loren and Melissa are walking down the steps and toward the dining hall when Loren sees Dylan with his book bag. Dylan turns and sees her. He smiles and walks over to them. Melissa looks between them and it's as if she isn't even there. "I'm going to go and eat. Come find us when you're done here." Mel says.

"Ok." Loren says.

"Hi." Dylan says.

"Hi." Loren says back.

Dylan and Loren have hung out a few times since move- in day, but Eddie had tagged along too so they never got any real alone time. Dylan is determined for that to change.

"So how's it going?" Loren asks.

"Good, just on my way to class." Dylan answers.

"Oh sorry, I'll let you go then." Loren says apologetically.

"No, I've got like 20 minutes. I'm glad you came to talk to me because I want to ask you something." Dylan says. "I was wondering if you would want to go out with me."

"Like a date?"

"Yea. Apparently, there's this little restaurant just off campus. The food is supposed to be really good. I thought that we could check it out… together. Sooo… what do you think?" Dylan looks nervous.

"I'd love to. It sounds like fun." Loren says.

"Cool, so tomorrow night."

"Yea."

"I'll come by your dorm around 6." Dylan says.

"My last class ends at 5:30, so could you make it 7?" Loren asks.

"No problem. Seven it is." Dylan says.

"Ok, I'll see you later then. I don't want to make you late for class."

"Well if I had to be late, it might as well be for you." Dylan says.

Loren turns a deep shade of red and turns around to walk toward the dining hall. Dylan watches her walk for a second, and then goes off to class. Eddie, Mel, and Ian are sitting. Eddie has his usual cup of coffee in hand. "Hey guys." Loren says, taking a seat beside Eddie.

"Hey. What took you so long? Mel said that you got held up." Eddie says.

"I was just talking to Dylan. He asked me out for tomorrow night."

"What?!" Mel squeals. "That's awesome. He's so hot and totally into you."

"You think so?"

"Hello. Have you seen the way that boy looks at you. He is constantly checking you out."

Loren laughs.

"That's great Lo. Anyway, I should get to class. Don't want to be late on the first day." Eddie says as he gets up.

"Hold on mate. My class is near yours."

"Bye ladies. We will see you later."

"Bye." Loren and Melissa say in unison.

Ian runs out of the hall to catch up with Eddie who has already put quite a distance between them. "Eddie, wait up!"

Eddie slows down but he doesn't stop. "You'd think you were her on a track scholarship." Ian jokes. Eddie doesn't laugh though.

"What up?" Ian asks.

"Nothing man. Just trying to get to class." Eddie says.

"Ok, whatever. Don't get all diva on me though." Ian says, making Eddie crack a smile.

They reach Hamman Hall and Ian walks in. Eddie keeps walking until he reaches Anderson Hall. Eddie is an architecture major and Ian majors in visual arts.

**Noon (In the quad)**

Loren is sitting in the quad waiting for Eddie. They have lunch at one if the little cafés around campus once a week. They still want to stay close despite the fact that they won't see each other as often. Loren is looking at her phone when a shadow appears above her. She looks up.

"You ready to go?" Eddie asks.

"Yea." Loren says. She stands up and they walk in step with each other. "How are your classes so far?" Loren asks.

"Class was good. My professor told us we were expected to design as we feel and not as we think is expected of us."

Loren looks confused.

"Yea I wasn't really into it when I first heard it either but I'll get used to it." Eddie puts his arm around Loren as they walk. "What about you?"

"I like the two professors I've met and I'm looking forward to Psych 101."

"Oh god. You're totally going to psychoanalyze me all year, aren't you?"

"No." Loren says as she laughs. "Well maybe a little. We'll see what's wrong in that head of yours." Loren says as she pokes his temple.

Eddie pushes her hand down and laughs. He always likes when he and Loren hang out alone. They are the only ones who really get the other and all of their crazy ways. They always felt comfortable around each other because of how long they had been friends.

Loren and Eddie ended up getting sandwiches from a stand near the dining hall and they eat at one of the benches. They talk and have fun like they always do. When they are finished eating, they both have calculus. They walk to class together and sit near the front of the class. It's not a lecture hall like Loren's psych class. The professor introduces herself as soon as the clock ticks to 1:45. She is definitely a no nonsense person. She tells everyone to get their books out and they start in on the basics. By the time the class ends though, an hour and a half later, Loren and Eddie are both mentally drained. "I don't think I will live through that class this semester." Eddie says.

"You'll be fine." Loren says. "I can tutor you.

"Midterms are going to kill me."

"Eddie, chill. We haven't even gotten through the first day and you are already talking about midterms."

"I guess you're right. I won't think about it." Eddie says.

"Good." Loren says.

"Where are you going now?" Eddie asks Loren.

"Back to my dorm to take a nap. My last class is at 4:15 so I'm going to take a power nap before I have to go."

"I've got my design class so I'll see you later." Eddie says.

"Ok. Catch you later." Loren says as she walks off.

**Later on that night**

Loren is getting into bed when her phone rings. She sees that it is Nora and answers.

**Loren: Hi Mom.**

**Nora: Hey sweetie. How was your first day?**

**Loren: It's was good. My professors are cool and the classes aren't too big except my psych 101 since it's in a lecture hall.**

**Nora: That's great. Your father told me that he talked to you earlier. **

**Loren: Yea but I was on my way to my class. He caught me right after my nap.**

**Nora: Ok. Did Eddie say that he liked his classes?**

**Loren: Yea he said that everything's cool. We have calculus together. He was totally freaking out about it. **

**Nora: That's Eddie for you.**

**Loren: I know right.**

**Nora: So, have you gotten a good feel for the campus yet?**

**Loren: Yea, and we're actually going to check out this restaurant just off campus tomorrow night. **

**Nora: We… as in you and Eddie?**

**Loren: Actually Dylan asked me to check it out with him. You know, the guy I told you about. You met him when we were moving in. **

**Nora: Oh, him.**

**Loren: Why do you say it like that?**

**Nora: Like what honey?**

**Loren: I don't know. Like you don't approve.**

**Nora: Oh no, that's not it. I was just looking at something. I was distracted and it came out the wrong way. I'm happy for you. He seemed like a very nice boy.**

**Loren: He is. I'm looking forward to it.**

**Nora: Well that's good. I should get to sleep. I have to be in early in the morning. I will talk to you soon. **

**Loren: Ok. I love you.**

**Nora: I love you too honey.**

**Loren: Good night and tell Dad that I love him.**

**Nora: I will. Good night.**

Loren ends the call and goes to bed.

**The Next Day**

Loren only has two classes today and they are both in the evening. She spends some time picking out her outfit for her date with Dylan. She decides to go with her black circle skirt, a strapless white top that is tucked into it and her red blazer. She pairs it with black flats.

After her classes, she runs back to get ready. She takes a quick shower. Loren makes her hair wavy with her curling wand and applies a little more make-up than usual. She is taking one last look at herself when there's a knock at the door. She smooths her skirt and opens it, but it's Mel.

"Why did you knock?"

"I forgot my key." Melissa says.

"Again. Mel you need to remember. What if I had been gone?"

"I know, I know." Mel stops and looks at Loren. "You look amazing by the way."

"You think so?" Loren asks.

"Definitely. Dylan won't know what hit him."

Loren smiles and just then, there is another knock at the door. Loren walks to the door and opens it. Standing there in khakis and blue button down shirt is Dylan. He smiles at her and Loren swears that her heart skips a beat.

"Wow." Is all Dylan manages to get out, making Loren blush.

"Wow, yourself." Loren replies.

"Shall we go?" Dylan asks.

"We shall." Loren says back. "Good night Mel."

"Night Lo."

They head to the restaurant.

**I know it's short but I hope you guys like it. Comments are appreciated as always. Can't wait to hear from you guys. **** cece1397**


	5. Chapter 5

Dylan is walking Loren back to her room.

"And that was the first and last time that I ever went to a NASCAR event. It was pretty bad. I knew I shouldn't have let my friends talk me into it." Dylan finishes.

"Well it seemed like it was fun, besides the whole almost getting hit by a racecar thing." Loren laughs and Dylan does too.

They come to Loren's door. "Well, this is me." They stood in silence for a few seconds.

"I had a great time tonight." Dylan says.

"Me too." Loren replies.

"Maybe we could do it again sometime?" Dylan says.

"I'd like that." Loren says.

"Great." Dylan smiles at Loren and she smiles back.

"I'll see you tomorrow then

"Yea." Loren says.

"Ok." Dylan replies.

"Tomorrow then." Loren says.

"Tomorrow." Dylan says back.

"Well, good night." Loren says.

"Good night Loren." Dylan says.

Loren unlocks her door and goes inside. Melissa is asleep, so Loren changes quietly and crawls into bed.

**The Next Morning**

Loren wakes up and does her usual routine.

She goes to the gym and works out for an hour. When she gets back to the room, Melissa pesters her with questions about her date while they get ready for breakfast. Once they're finished, they grab their bags and walk to the dining hall. Eddie is sitting with Ian at their regular table. Eddie waves to them when they walk in. Loren sits beside Eddie and takes one of the orange slices from his tray.

"Do you always have to take food from my plate? You could at least ask." Eddie says jokingly.

"You always let me." Loren says as she bites into it.

"I guess you're right." Eddie says smiling. Eddie looks at her endearingly. Her hair is pulled away from her face in a ponytail. The way the sun shines through the window and onto Loren, it looks as if she is glowing. Eddie is staring at her when he hears Ian calling his name.

"Eddie!" Ian yells.

Eddie snaps out of it. "What?"

"I asked if you wanted to come to the concert tonight. Unless you have work to do. It's a mystery music group." Ian says.

"I can be finished before. What time is the concert?"

"Eight." Melissa says.

"Tell me you can come" Loren says. "It won't be the same without you."

Eddie never could resist Loren's pleas or her smile. It always made him give in.

"I can come." Eddie says.

"Perfect, then it's set. I better get to class. I'll see you guys tonight."

"Bye Lo." They all say one after the other.

**After Breakfast (Eddie and Ian's Dorm) **

Eddie and Ian walk back to their dorm room. Eddie opens the door and as they are walking in, Ian sees Dylan.

"Dylan! Hey man." Ian says.

"Hey guys. What's up?" Dylan asks.

"Nothing much, but what about you? I heard that you had a date with Loren last night." Ian says smiling. Eddie walks into their room without saying a word, but he can still hear their conversation.

"Yea I did."

"Don't be so vague dude. How was it?" Ian asks.

"It was a good time. We're going to do it again. She's really great."

"Yea. Loren's cool; she's really sweet." Ian says.

"Well, I better get going. I have to get to work." Dylan and Ian work at the campus bookstore.

"Ok. Are you working tomorrow?" Ian asks.

"Yea, are you?" Dylan asks

"From 12-4." Ian says.

"I'll see you tomorrow then." Dylan answers

"Ok." Ian says.

Dylan starts to walk away.

"Dylan, do you have plans tonight?"

Eddie cringes a little when he hears those words.

"No, why?" Dylan asks.

"Some of us are going to a concert tonight. Do you want to come with us?" Ian asks.

And there it was. Eddie is a little pissed. He's not used to having anyone else wanting to be so close to Loren. Loren had never been interested in that many guys. Sure she had dated, but it never turned into anything serious. A lot of people thought that it was because he and Loren had something going on. They both thought that it was ridiculous at the time, but Eddie didn't think it was so crazy anymore. He was starting to feel like he and Loren could have something, but Eddie wouldn't pursue it. He just couldn't.

"I don't know. I was considering picking up some extra hours tonight. I could really use the extra money." Dylan says.

"Loren will be there." Ian teases him.

Dylan laughs. "Ok man, I'll be there."

"Great. Meet us at our room at 7:30 and we'll walk over." Ian says.

"Ok. Thanks for inviting me."

"No problem."

Dylan walks down the hallway while Ian walks into their room. "You don't mind that I invited him do you?" Ian asks. "I just figured it would be fun. He's really cool. You and Loren hung out with him, right?"

"Yea. I'm sure it'll be fun." Eddie lies.

**Later on that night**

Loren and Melissa are dressed and heading toward the theatre when they see Eddie and Ian walking toward them. Dylan had to work late so he told them that he would just meet them there.

"Hey guys." Eddie says.

"Hey." Melissa and Loren say.

"You guys ready to go in?" Eddie asks.

"We have to wait for Dylan mate." Ian says.

"Dylan is coming." Loren says sounding surprised.

"Yea. Ian invited him." Eddie says.

"Oh. Cool." Loren says.

"Why don't Loren and I go find a spot to sit and you two can wait for him?" Eddie says.

"Yea, that works."

"Great!" Eddie puts his arm around Loren's shoulder as he usually does and they walk toward the concert area. They find a spot and put their blankets down. "Ow!" Loren says out of nowhere.

"What's wrong?" Eddie says walking over to her.

"I think I have an eyelash in there. Can you see anything?" Loren asks.

"Yea, just let me get it." Eddie is looking at her eye when a guy runs past them and bumps into Eddie. This causes him to lose his footing and he pulls Loren down with him. She is lying on the ground and Eddie has stretched his arms out so that he could balance himself above her. They are looking into each other's eyes.

"Well, the eyelash is gone." Loren says.

They both start laughing.

"Loren?" A voice says.

They both turn their heads and see Dylan standing in front of them.

"Hey man." Eddie says with a smug look on his face.

"Hey." Dylan says uncomfortably.

Eddie gets off of Loren and stands up, then he reaches out his hand toward her. Loren takes it and pulls herself up.

"Hi Dylan." Loren says as she runs a hand through her hair.

"Hi."

"This is a great spot." Melissa says as she sits down.

"We thought so." Loren says as she sits down as well.

"Glad you could make it dude." Eddie says.

"Yea, me too." Dylan says.

Melissa sits on one side of Loren so Eddie sits on the other side of her before Dylan even has a chance to think about it. Dylan takes a seat on the other side of Ian, not wanting to sit next to Eddie.

Maroon 5 comes out on stage and the crowd goes wild. "I love them." Loren screams. I can't believe they got them to play here."

The show begins and Loren spends it singing along with Eddie to the music. Dylan looks down the row at Eddie and Loren. Her elbow is propped up on Eddie's knee as they listen to the music.

There is a brief intermission. "I'm going to get snacks." Loren says. "Anybody want anything?"

"Yea." Eddie says. Everyone tells her what they want.

"I'll help you Lo." Melissa says as she gets up.

They walk over to the snack table to get everything.

"I'm going to head to the bathroom right quick." Eddie says. He gets up and walks off.

"What's up with Eddie and Loren?" Dylan is finally able to ask.

"What are you talking about dude?" Ian answers.

"They are always together. Is she into him?"

"What? No, but what do you expect? They've been friends for life pretty much. You can't help the fact that Eddie and Loren have a bond; they're really close." Ian says. "Besides, aren't you dating her anyway?"

"I thought I was but it seems like I can't really get close to her when he's around." Dylan complains.

"I don't know what to tell you mate. If you and Loren do become a thing, Eddie is still going to be in her life so you'll have to find some way to get over your insecurities." Ian says.

"I am not insecure!" Dylan exclaims.

"Ok, whatever." Ian says clearly annoyed.

At that moment, Loren and Melissa come back with snacks. They hand them out. "Where's Eddie?" Loren asks.

"Bathroom, he'll be back soon." Ian says.

Loren starts eating her popcorn as they wait for the show to continue. Before Eddie gets back, Dylan takes Eddie's seat. "Hi there." Dylan says.

"Hey." Loren says smiling. "We haven't talked tonight. I'm glad you could come."

"Really?"

"Of course. Popcorn?" Loren says as she offers him the bag. Dylan takes a kernel and pops it into his mouth. When Eddie comes back, he sees that Dylan has moved in on Loren. He doesn't want to seem jealous so he just goes and sits down beside Ian.

"Lo, did you get my soda?" Eddie asks.

"Well, I got the last ginger ale so I figured we could just share it. Is that ok?"

"That's cool. I mean, we do it all the time." Eddie says, glancing in Dylan's direction.

The concert ends and they clean up the blankets. The guys and the girls go in the direction of their rooms. When Eddie and Ian get back to their room, Ian tells Eddie about his conversation with Dylan.

"So does he think that Loren is just going to stop hanging out with me if they start going out because that's not happening." Eddie says as he pulls his bed back.

"That's what I told him." Ian says.

"Good, because we're close and that's not going to change.

**Eddie is getting protective and Dylan is getting jealous. How will this affect Loren? What will happen next? Comment please and tell me what you think. **


	6. Chapter 6

Dylan and Loren have been on more dates. Dylan asked Loren to be his girlfriend a month ago and she said yes. Since then, Eddie has noticed that Dylan has been trying to use their relationship to undermine she and Eddie's relationship. He has started eating breakfast with them in the morning and he is constantly around, but Loren has not let him get in the way of even one of their lunch days.

"Eddie!" Loren yells from table she has already gotten at Melrose café.

Eddie jogs over to her and sits down. "Hey. I feel like this is the only time we ever get to spend together lately."

"I know, but Dylan and I are in a new relationship and we're still in that lovey dovey phase." Loren says.

"Yea." Eddie nods.

"Oh my gosh Eddie! Are you jealous?" Loren exclaims.

"No. I'm really not. I'm happy for you, but I just don't want our relationship to change because you have a boyfriend." Eddie says

Loren put her hand on Eddie's, which is lying on the table. "That would never happen. Dylan is my boyfriend, but you're my best friend. We have a different kind of bond. Understand?"

Eddie smiles. "Yea."

"Good, now let's order. I'm starving." Loren says.

They order their food and talk. Once lunch is over, Eddie and Loren go to calculus. The rest of the day goes by.

**The Next Morning (Dining Hall) **

The usual gang is at breakfast except for Loren. She has a test in her first class so she has been studying since about five that morning. Eddie starts talking to everyone about his plans for Loren's birthday which is in a week.

"We have to have a big party for her. She loves that sort of stuff. We've always made a big deal of Loren's birthday except last year because she was sick. I spent the night at her house and we watched movies, but it was still a good time. I told her that we would make up for it this year, so we have to go all out." Eddie says.

"So first we need to pick a venue." Melissa says.

"She loves that café just off campus. I say we have it there." Ian says.

"That's perfect." Eddie exclaims.

Just then, Dylan walks over and sits with them. He has never been around them when Loren wasn't there, except Ian since they work at the bookstore together.

"What's up?" Dylan says.

"Nothing, just talking about Loren's birthday." Eddie says.

"Speaking of Loren's birthday, I wanted to talk to you guys about what I have planned." Dylan says.

"What you have planned?" Eddie says.

"Yea, I was thinking that the two of us could have a quiet evening together. I was thinking that we could go out to dinner, then spend the rest of the night together doing whatever she wants. Do you think she would like that?" Dylan asks.

"Actually I don't." Eddie says sternly.

Dylan faces Eddie. "Why not Duran?"

"Loren likes to have fun with all of her friends on her birthday. She wants a big party. We do it every year." Eddie says.

"Which is why a change would be good. I'm sure Loren would rather have a romantic night out with her boyfriend this year. No offense." Dylan says.

"Some taken." Eddie replies.

"What's your problem dude? You guys can have her the day after her birthday. That's ok with the rest of you guys, right?"

"No, it's not." Melissa says. "She's been talking about the parties that she had for past birthdays and she really loved them. Even though it's her birthday, it seems like she'd rather share them with everyone else. I think that she would rather keep the tradition going with a party." Melissa says.

"I agree with Mel." Ian says.

"I'm her boyfriend so I'm pretty sure that I know her a bit better than you guys." Dylan says rudely.

"Maybe you know her better than Mel and Ian, but there is no way you know her better than me, so don't act like you do." Eddie says.

Dylan is silent.

Eddie stands up and grabs his bag. "We're having a party for Loren. It's what she wants." Eddie turns and walks off without another word.

"Someone's on their period. I'll see you guys later." Dylan says as he gets up and walks out of the dining hall.

"Do you feel the tension between them? I swear that it keeps growing." Mel says.

"I feel it too. It's not just you." Ian says.

"Does Dylan ever say anything to you about Eddie?" Melissa asks.

"Not really, but I'm pretty sure that this tension had everything to do with Loren." Ian says.

**Loren and Melissa's Dorm Room**

Loren is studying when there is a knock at the door. She opens it and is ambushed by Dylan, whose lips are now on hers. Loren pulls away.

"Dylan, you know I have my first test of the semester in a couple of hours. I need to study." Loren says.

"Come on, you've been studying all weekend, even Friday night and that was our date night. Can't you spare a few minutes for your boyfriend?" Dylan says as he kisses her neck.

"Well, maybe a few minutes." Loren says as they fall on her bed. They make out for about 10 minutes and then Loren rolls off of the bed. "Now I have to get back to studying, but you can come back tonight and I will make it up to you." Loren says.

Dylan smiles. "I'm going to hold you to that." They share one last kiss and Dylan walks out the door.

Loren gets back to studying. About an hour before class starts, Loren showers and gets dressed. Once she is done, Loren walks to Psych 101. She is the first one to finish, so she checks over her answers twice.

Walking out of Psych, Loren feels good about her test. She sees Mel walking across the lawn. "Melissa!" Loren yells.

"Hey." Melissa says. "How was your test?" She asks.

"Great. I pretty much knew everything." Loren says.

"You should. You studied for three days straight." Mel says.

"Were you guys completely lost without me this morning?" Loren says just kidding around.

"It was interesting to say the least." Melissa says.

"What do you mean?" Loren asks.

"Eddie and Dylan were just…" Melissa begins.

"Just what? " Loren says

"Asks one of them what's going on. It's really none of my business." Melissa says. "I have to get to the library; I have a paper due at two o'clock today."

Loren looks after Mel, confused. Loren walks to Starbucks before she goes to her next class. She sees Dylan in line already and walks up to him.

"Hey." Loren says.

"Hey Lo." Dylan says. "How was your test?"

"Good. What happened with you and Eddie this morning?" Loren asks.

"What are you talking about?" Dylan asks.

"Don't play dumb. Melissa told me that you guys got into a little… disagreement at breakfast. Why?"

Dylan sighs. It was Dylan's turn to order. "I've got yours covered." He tells Loren.

"I'll have a tall Strawberry Frappuccino and a grande Carmel Macchiato." Dylan tells the cashier. She tells him the price and he hands her his card.

"It was nothing. We were just talking about your birthday." Dylan says.

"And that started a fight?" Loren questions.

"Not exactly." Dylan says.

"Dylan, Stop being so vague!" Loren yells.

"He said that you would rather have a party for your birthday than spend a nice quiet evening with your boyfriend. That's ridiculous, right? I mean you would rather spend it with me."

"Actually, I would like to spend it with all of my friends. I always have a big party." Loren says. "It's what I do.

"So you don't want to spend the night with me?" Dylan asks.

"I do, which is why you are going to come, duh." Loren says as she goes to kiss him.

Dylan steps back and then their orders are called. They grab their drinks. "I don't want to share you though, especially not with Eddie."

"Eddie? What are you talking about?" Loren says.

"You want this party so you can spend time with him, don't you?" Dylan says, his voice rising.

"He's my best friend Dylan." Loren.

"That's what I keep hearing." Dylan says.

"Are you jealous of my friendship with Eddie?" Loren says.

"No." Dylan says.

"Dylan." Loren says sternly.

"So what if I am. It's not like you've given me a reason not to be."

"You know what? Forget this. I have to go to class." Loren says.

"But Lo." Dylan calls out.

Loren doesn't turn around. She just keeps walking.

Loren finds herself zoning in and out of her dissociative disorders class, luckily she records the lectures so that she can clarify things later.

Later on, Loren walks to the building where her calculus class is and Eddie is right outside.

"Hey. What's up Lo?" Eddie says.

"Hi." Loren says.

"What's wrong?" Eddie asks.

"Dylan and I had a fight earlier." Loren tells him.

"Was it about this morning?" Eddie asks. "I'm sorry Lo. I know that he's your boyfriend but he doesn't know you like I do. I knew that you would want to hang out with everyone, not just him."

"And you were right. You are right. Dylan is just being an idiot because I think he's jealous of you, of us." Loren says.

"Seriously?" Eddie says.

"Yes." Loren says.

"I'm sorry Lo." Eddie says.

"Don't apologize. If he is insecure, then that's him. If Dylan and I are going to work, then he has to get used to the people in my life and that includes you." Loren says.

Eddie smiles at her. "Well, we should get to class. Ok." He says.

"Ok." Loren says. Eddie puts his arm around Loren and they walk to class together.

**Things are heating up in this love triangle. Will Loren be able to deal with Dylan's insecurities or will those insecurities push her closer to Eddie. The next chapter will be longer because I know you guys like them that way. Leave your thought in the comments. I can't wait to hear from you guys, so tell me what you think. **** cece1397**


	7. Chapter 7

Eddie and Loren are in her room working on their calculus homework. Loren is sitting on her bed while Eddie is at the desk right beside it.

"What did you get for number twelve?" Eddie asks Loren.

"Plus or minus the square root of 3."Loren answers.

"I got plus or minus the square root of 23." Eddie says as he throws his pencil down on his book. "I suck at this."

"No, you probably just added or subtracted something wrong." Loren says comfortingly. Loren gets off of her bed and looks at Eddie's paper over his shoulder. Eddie can smell the faint scent of her perfume. "Here." Loren says pointing to the problem. "You copied it out of the book wrong."

Eddie looks down. "Wow, so I'm an even bigger idiot than I thought." Eddie laughs.

"Hey, I'm sure that that would be the right answer if that was actually the problem." Loren smiles.

"Yea, maybe." Eddie says back.

"Do the next one, and pay attention to how it's written." Loren says.

"Yes mom." Eddie says sarcastically.

Eddie and Loren continue working on their homework until all of it is finished. "Do you want to get some dinner?" Loren asks. "I'm starving."

"Me too. Let's get pizza." Eddie offers.

"Only if we can get pineapple on it." Loren says.

"No." Eddie says.

"Come on, please."

"No."

"Half then."

"Fine, half."

"Ok."

Loren and Eddie put their shoes on and head out the door. They open the door and see Dylan getting ready to knock on her door.

"I thought you were doing homework." Dylan says.

"We were, but we finished and we we're getting something to eat." Eddie says.

"Pretty sure I was talking to Loren." Dylan snaps.

"Do you want to come with us?" Loren interjects, sensing the tension.

''I already ate. Call me when you get back though, so I know you got back safely." Dylan says.

"Don't worry dude. I've always taken care of her." Eddie says with a fake smile on his face.

"Yea, sure." Dylan says.

"I'll talk to you tonight." Dylan says as he steps forward. His lips descend to hers and Eddie swears that he is shoving his tongue down her throat.

Loren pulls back, a little flustered. "We should get going but I'll see you tomorrow."

"Ok." Dylan says.

"He watches them walk down the hall and down the stairs.

**At the Pizza Place**

They get half pepperoni and half pineapple on the pizza. "Try it." Loren says as she shoves the pizza in Eddie's face.

"Get that away from me." Eddie says laughing.

"It's good." Loren says.

"It's not good. It's gross."

"You don't know what you're missing." Loren says.

"I'll take my chances." Eddie says as she takes a bite of his own pizza.

"Your loss." Loren says.

"You ready for your party tomorrow night?" Eddie asks.

"Totally. I want to see what you guys have planned for me since you won't let anyone tell me anything." Loren says.

"It would ruin the surprise." Eddie says.

"You're no fun."

"Eat your pineapples and stop complaining."

Loren laughs. "Jerk."

"But you love me tough." Eddie says. Loren laughs.

They finish eating and Eddie walks Loren back to her dorm. He hugs her and goes back to his dorm. When he walks inside, Ian is still awake.

"Hey mate."

"Hey dude. You're still up?"

"Yea, I have to finish this chapter for tomorrow. You and Loren were out late." Ian says.

"Yea I know. We hadn't eaten since we started so we went out."

"Is Dylan ok with that?" Ian asks sarcastically.

"I couldn't care less what Dylan thinks. I honestly don't know what Loren sees in him." Eddie says as he kicks his shoes off.

"Well Loren's a good person. If she likes him, there has to be some reason." Ian offers.

"Maybe, but I've yet to see one redeeming quality about that guy." Eddie says. "You work with him. Don't you know him pretty well?"

"He's cool… until you and Loren get involved. Then he gets all weird." Ian says.

**Dylan's Dorm Room**

Dylan has just finished talking to Loren. When he hangs up, his roommate Blake walks in from the shower. "Hey dude." Blake says.

"Hey." Dylan says.

"Where did you run off to earlier?" Blake asks.

"I went to see Loren. We were supposed to hang out tonight but she ended up going to dinner with Eddie." Dylan says.

"You don't exactly sound excited about that." Thomas says

"I'm not. Even though we're together now, he's still there. All the time. It's like I'm never really going to be number one in her life, no matter what." Dylan asks.

"Maybe she's not the one for you then." Blake says.

"That's not true. Eddie just gets in the way. I just have to find some way to get him out of the picture." Dylan says.

"How exactly do you plan on doing that?" Blake asks.

"I'll figure something out." Dylan says.

**The Next Day **

Loren is doing her make-up when there is a knock on her door. She opens it and Dylan is there. "What are you doing here?" Loren asks.

"I just thought that we could spend the day together. Since you are having your party tonight, we can just have the day to ourselves." Dylan says.

"I can't. I have plans with…"

"Let me guess, Eddie." Dylan interrupts.

"Melissa actually. We're going shopping and out to lunch. What's your deal with Eddie?" Loren asks as she crosses her arms.

"Nothing. I just this that…"

"Just what Dylan? I am so sick of defending my relationship with him to you. Melissa is waiting for me outside so please let this go."

They both walk outside and Loren locks the door behind her. Eddie, Ian, and Melissa are waiting outside. They don't notice Dylan who walks in the opposite direction as soon as he walks out of the building.

"Hey guys." Loren says

Loren sees Eddie's eyes light up when he turns around. He holds his arms out for a hug. "How's the birthday girl?" Eddie asks.

"Great." Loren says as she hugs him back. After she pulls away from him, she hugs Ian too.

"Happy Birthday Lo." Ian says.

"Thanks." Loren says.

"We should get going. Francesca's is having huge sale and the birthday girl should get first dibs." Melissa says.

"So we'll see you guys later." Eddie says

They walk in their separate directions. Ian and Eddie rented out the whole café for the day so that they could set up. Some of Loren's other friends are helping as well.

"Does Loren go all out like this for your birthday?" Ian asks.

"Sometimes more. I swear that she loves my birthday more than her own. She starts planning my next party as soon as the previous one is over." Eddie says.

"That sounds like Lo." Ian laughs.

"Yea, she makes sure that it's special which is why I am going to make her party just as great as all of mine." Eddie says.

"Then I guess we have a lot to live up to then." Ian says.

"Yes we do." Eddie says. "So let's get to work."

**At Francesca's**

"This would look so cute on you." Melissa says as she holds a blue and white chevron dress up to Loren. You have to wear this tonight.

"But I have a dress already." Loren says.

"Don't get me wrong. It's cute but you need to try this on and then tell me that you want to wear the other dress." Melissa says.

Loren goes into the dressing room and has to admit that she loves the way the dress looks on her. She walks out and shows Mel. "You look hot Lo. Tell me you're getting it and you can borrow my white wedges to go with it."

"Definitely." Loren says.

"Awesome. Now let's get go. We still have more shops to hit." Melissa says. Loren and Melissa shop a lot and then they stop for lunch.

"Is this like the best birthday ever or what?" Melissa asks.

"It's been fun. Shopping is always the best way to celebrate." Loren says.

"How did you usually spend your birthday?" Melissa asks.

"Eddie and I go to movies. My family and Eddie's family go out to dinner or something and then that all leads up to this huge party that they plan for me." Loren says.

"That sounds great. Eddie was determined to make this your best birthday ever so you'll definitely love it." Melissa says.

"He knows me better than anybody so I'm really excited."

Loren and Melissa finish eating and continue to shop. At six o'clock, Loren and Melissa walk go back to their dorm so that they could get ready for the party. Loren puts on the dress she just bought with Melissa's shoes. She straightens her hair and gives herself a middle part. Loren does her make-up and straightens Mel's hair as well. Melissa wears a red A-line dress with black pumps. Melissa and Loren walk over to the cafe but Loren is wearing a blind fold. When they open the door, all of the lights are off. Melissa takes Loren's blindfold off.

"Surprise!" Everyone yells and the lights come on. The first people Loren sees are her parents. "Mom, dad!" Loren yells. She jumps in Trent's arms and he spins her around.

"Happy Birthday sweetie." Trent says. He puts her down and hugs her mom.

"I can't believe you guys are here." Loren says.

"Did you really think that we would miss your birthday?" Nora asks.

"You said that we would celebrate when I came down next week." Loren says.

"Eddie told us to say that." Nora says. Loren smiles.

"Of course he did." Loren says. "Are Katy and Max here?"

"Of course we are." Katy says. Loren turns around and hugs them both. "Happy Birthday Loren." They both say.

"Thank you guys for coming." Loren says.

"What's up guys?" A voice comes from the stage. Everyone in the crowd screams. Loren turns around and sees no one other than Eddie. They make eye contact and smile at each other.

"I'd like to thank you guys for coming tonight. It'd great to have all of you here to celebrate this moment with Loren. She is a beautiful person, both inside and out. She's always thinks of others before herself and that's why she is and always will be my best friend. I love you Loren and I hope that this birthday is everything you could have hoped for." Loren has tears in her eyes. She runs up on the stage and hugs him. Eddie kisses her on the cheek and hugs her back.

They pull apart and Eddie starts speaking again. "To get this party started, let's bring someone out who also wants to wish Loren a happy birthday." Loren looks at Eddie confused. "Everyone please welcome Gavin DeGraw." Loren's hand flies to her mouth as she hears him start to sing happy birthday. She sees Gavin come from behind the curtain and is in a trance. Once he is finished, Gavin DeGraw tells her happy birthday and hugs her.

"Your friend Eddie told me what a big fan you are and he convinced me to come out here to see you." Loren smiles at him. "All of these people came here to celebrate you and you are very lucky to have them all in your life. Now I just want you to go sit down there with your friends and family." Gavin says.

Loren walks off of the stage with Eddie behind her. She sits down and Eddie sits next to her.

"So your friend Eddie wanted to sing this to you, but he thought about it and realized that he isn't really a good vocalist." Everyone laughs including Eddie. "This song is dedicated to you Loren by Eddie."

Loren looks at Eddie and he gives her a big smile.

**La da da da da da, la da da da da [x2]**

**Where did all the people go?**

**They got scared when the lights went low.**

**I'll get you through it nice and slow,**

**When the world's spinning out of control.**

**Afraid of what they might lose**

**Might get scraped or they might get bruised.**

**You could beg them, what's the use?**

**That's why it's called a moment of truth**

**I'll get it if you need it,**

**I'll search if you don't see it,**

**You're thirsty, I'll be rain,**

**You get hurt, I'll take your pain.**

**I know you don't believe it,**

**But I said it and I still mean it,**

**When you heard what I told you,**

**When you get worried I'll be your soldier.**

**Funny when times get hard,**

**At the last moment when you're supposed to charge,**

**Always on the longest yard,**

**Oh, they feel their feet getting cold.**

**Hiding here, hiding there,**

**Find them underneath the stairs,**

**People hiding everywhere,**

**Trying to be still like a stone.**

**I'll get it if you need it,**

**I'll search if you can't see it,**

**You're thirsty, I'll be rain,**

**You get hurt, I'll take your pain.**

**I know you don't believe it,**

**But I said it and I still mean it,**

**When you heard what I told you,**

**When you get worried I'll be your soldier.**

**My aim is so true,**

**I wanna show you,**

**I'll try forever,**

**I'm never gonna say "surrender".**

**I'll get it if you need it,**

**I'll search if you can't see it,**

**You're thirsty, I'll be rain,**

**You get hurt, I'll take your pain.**

**I know you don't believe it,**

**But I said it and I still mean it,**

**When you heard what I told you,**

**When you get worried I'll be your soldier.**

**I'll be your soldier**

**Well I'll be, oh I'll be your soldier**

**I'll be your soldier**

**I'll be your soldier**

**La ra la ra ra ra, la ra la ra ra [x2] **

Loren hugs Eddie. "Thank you so much." Loren tells him.

"You're welcome." Eddie says.

"I will be here all night singing for you guys so have a great time." Gavin says. Everyone cheers. Loren's classmates come up to her and wish her a happy birthday.

Everyone starts dancing. Dylan walks in and he sees Loren dancing with Eddie. He walks over to her and discreetly makes himself a divide between she and Eddie. He pulls her off to the side of the room.

"Hey." Dylan says.

"Hi." Loren says.

"Happy Birthday." Dylan says.

"Thanks." Loren says.

"Look, I'm sorry that I have been an idiot lately. I know that you and Eddie are just friends and I will stop being insecure about it. I swear. Can you forgive me?" Dylan says.

"Yea, I can forgive you, but this is the last time." Loren says.

"I got it." Dylan says.

"Good." There are two people I would like you to meet." Loren takes Dylan's hand and leads him over to her parents. "Mom, dad, I want you to me my boyfriend Dylan. This is my mom Nora, and my dad Trent."

"It's nice to finally meet you Dylan." Trent says as he shakes Dylan's hand.

"You too Mr. Tate." Dylan says.

"You can call me Trent." Dylan smiles.

"It's nice to meet you too Nora." Dylan says with a sincere smile.

"You can call me Mrs. Tate." She says.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Dylan says.

Loren and Trent give Nora a look. A slow song begins playing and Loren takes Dylan away from the awkward situation by leading him to the dance floor.

"I don't think your mom likes me." Dylan says as soon as they are far enough away from her parents.

"That's not true." Loren says.

"Of course it is. She totally jumped on me when I called her Nora."

"In her defense, you probably should have gone with Mrs. Tate in the first place since you guys just met. But don't worry. Once she gets to know you she'll love you."

"I hope so." Dylan says. He leans down to kiss her. Eddie sees and feels like he's been punched in the stomach. Seeing her with him makes him feel like he's lost a little part of her.

"What's wrong honey?" Nora asks Eddie.

"Nothing." Eddie says.

"I know you and I also know that that isn't true. Is it Dylan? Because if it is, I don't like him either."Nora says.

"You don't." Eddie says incredulously.

"No. there's something about him that just doesn't sit well with me. I don't trust him."

"Well it's good to know that I'm not the only one." Eddie says.

"I'm trying to protect Loren and I want you to keep close eye on her. You are like a son to me and I want you to make sure that she is ok." Nora says. "Can you promise me that?"

"I promise." Eddie says.

"Thank you. Now give me a hug." Eddie hugs Nora like he's done so many times before.

Dylan looks over and sees them hugging. It makes him angry that Nora likes Eddie better than him. He doesn't say anything though. He just keeps dancing with Loren.

The party goes on for another three hours and then it's over. Dylan has to wake up early for his class the next morning so he is already gone. The guests have all left as well including Nora, Max, Katy, and Trent. Loren and Eddie are cleaning up. Loren takes her shoes off and tosses them in a corner. "Those shoes are so cute, but they are so uncomfortable." Loren says.

"You okay?" Eddie asks smiling.

"Yea I'm fine." Loren says. "Thank you so much for putting this together. It was amazing. You made this the best birthday of my life. I'll never be able to thank you for this night." Loren says.

"Actually you can." Eddie says.

"How?" Loren asks.

"Dance with me." Eddie says.

"What?" Loren says.

"We never got to have our dance. We can't end the night without our dance." Eddie says.

Loren smiles. "You're right. We can't."

Eddie walks over to the stereo and turns it on. Stay with me begins to play and they sway to the music together. They are dancing and looking into each other's eyes.

"I need to tell you something Lo." Eddie says.

"What is it?" Loren asks, her big brown eyes gazing at him intently.

"I…I…"

**What will Eddie say to Loren? Will Dylan keep his promise to Loren about Eddie? Please leave lots of comments and feedback but none that just tell me you want another chapter. Tell me what you really think please. **


	8. Chapter 8

"I…I, um." Eddie stutters.

"You what?" Loren says looking up at him.

I…I'm glad you had a good time. I wanted this party to be special for because you're the best friend I could ever ask for and you deserve it." Eddie says.

"Thanks Eddie. You're the best." Loren hugs him and Eddie lets out a deep breath. He was really close to telling her how he felt but he wasn't willing to risk what could happen to their friendship if he did. Loren pulls away and the song ends. They get back to cleaning up. Once they are finished, Eddie walks Loren back to her room and then walks back to his. Ian is asleep because he has an early shift at the bookstore in the morning. Eddie showers and sits on his bed. Eddie finally falls asleep, his thought consumed with Loren: Her smile, her laugh, the way he feels when she touches him. He doesn't know how she would take being more than just friends with him, especially since she's with Dylan now.

**A Week Later**

Ian just got back from class. Eddie is at his desk studying. In has noticed that Eddie's been a little distant lately. He doesn't talk and goof off all the time. Ian drops his book bag on the floor and sits on the edge of the bed. "Ok. What's your deal mate?" Ian asks.

Eddie looks up. "What are you talking about?" Eddie asks.

"Don't play dumb. You haven't been acting like yourself." Ian says.

"I'm fine." Eddie tries to insist.

"No you're not. Now that I think about it, you've been weird ever since Loren's party. Did something happen?"

Eddie feels his body get tense and Ian notices. "It is about Loren isn't it? Dude, just tell me."

Eddie considers it and decides to tell Ian. He is going to drive himself crazy if he doesn't tell someone.

"You're right. It's about Loren. I love her." Eddie says.

"I know that. You guys have been friends for years."

"No, you don't understand. Ian, I'm in love with Loren." Eddie says.

"Oh." Ian says.

"Oh. I'm spilling my guts out to you and all you can think to say is oh!" Eddie says.

"I'm sorry. It's just that I didn't see this coming, like at all." Ian says. "I have to admit that I wondered why you guys never got together but I just figured that you guys were happy with your friendship."

"We were…we are…I am. I mean I was but I don't want to be just her friend anymore. She's all I ever think about. I imagine what it would be like to kiss her again but for real this time and…"

"Wait… again. You guys have kissed before?" Ian inquires.

"Yea. It wasn't real though." Eddie begins to explain.

"And now you lost me."

Eddie explains everything to Ian. He tells him about their pretend couple idea and about Chloe and about the way that Loren got really upset and just kissed him out of nowhere.

"I felt something when she kissed me and I've never felt that with anyone before." Eddie says.

"And you haven't told her any of this." Ian says.

"Are you crazy? This would totally freak her out and she doesn't see me that way. I know she doesn't." Eddie says.

"How do you know if you never tell her dude?"

"I don't want to ruin or friendship so I'm not telling her anything and you better not either. I told you this in confidence. Swear to me that you won't say anything to anyone about this." Eddie pleads.

"I swear. My lips are sealed." Ian says.

"Thank you." Eddie says.

**This is super short I know but I haven't been getting a lot of feedback from this story, good or bad and I think that I'm just going to stop updating this one and focus on my other two since you seem to like them so much. I just figured I would leave you guys with this so you would officially know how Eddie feels.**


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